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Greek Mythology Notes

Anthedon

🏛 placeἈνθηδών
geography

A small Boeotian coastal town where the fisherman Glaucus ate a magical herb and became a sea deity.‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍

The Story of Anthedon

On the shores near Anthedon, the fisherman Glaucus noticed that fish he caught and placed on a certain patch of grass would revive and leap back into the sea.‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍ Curious, he tasted the grass himself and immediately felt an irresistible compulsion to leap into the sea. He was transformed into a sea deity — his legs becoming a fish tail, his skin turning sea-green, and his hair flowing like seaweed. He became a prophetic god of the sea, later teaching Nereus the art of prophecy, and was consulted by the Argonauts during their voyage.

Parents

{Poseidon (domain)}

Children

{Glaucus (transformed here)}

Symbols

grassfishsea-green skin

Fun Fact

Glaucus later fell in love with Scylla and asked Circe for a love potion — Circe, who loved Glaucus herself, poisoned Scylla instead, transforming her into the monster.

Explore Further

Glaucus the Sea God

god

sea

Mortal fisherman who ate a magical herb, became immortal, and transformed into a blue-green sea deity.

Glaucus

god

sea, prophecy

A mortal fisherman who became an immortal sea god after eating a magical herb.

Glaucus of Anthedon

🐉 creature

sea,transformation

A mortal fisherman who accidentally ate a magical herb and was transformed into an immortal sea deity, growing fish's scales and a tail, destined to roam the seas forever.

Siphae

🏛 place

geography

A small Boeotian port sacred to Dionysus, connected to the god's worship on the Corinthian Gulf coast.

Melicertes

god

sea

Son of Ino who was transformed into the marine god Palaemon after his mother leaped with him into the sea.

Palaemon

god

harbours, sailors

God of harbours and patron of the Isthmian Games, originally the mortal child Melicertes.

Methone

🏛 place

geography

A Macedonian coastal town where the archer Aster shot out the eye of Philip II — and mythologically associated with Ariadne.

Proteus

god

Shape-shifting seer of the sea

Proteus knew all things but only spoke if held through shape-shifts.

proteanproteinProteus syndrome

Scheria

🏛 place

Land of the Phaeacians

Scheria was the island of the Phaeacians, a seafaring people beloved by the gods, where the shipwrecked Odysseus was welcomed by King Alcinous and Princess Nausicaa.

Euphemus

🗡 hero

sea

Argonaut and son of Poseidon who could walk on water and was prophesied to be the ancestor of Cyrene's founders.

Lesbos

🏛 place

geography

An Aegean island where the severed head of Orpheus floated ashore, still singing, after the Maenads tore him apart.

lesbian

Cape Sounion

🏛 place

worship, sea

The dramatic headland at the southern tip of Attica crowned by the Temple of Poseidon, where Aegeus watched for Theseus's returning ship.

aegean